It Just Doesn’t Work

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Unless you’ve lived here for 7½ years or have endured one of my “I do NOT know what they were thinking!” kitchen tours, it may be hard to comprehend the reason behind our kitchen remodel. (Didn’t we just dig a basement?!) And for those who have visited and have seen the absurdity, it’s hard to comprehend why we waited this long!

I’m not interested in granite counter tops (we’re going with laminate). Stainless steel appliances are finger print magnets. I’ll pass. (Matching appliances made in the current century would be nice, though, some day. 😉 ) Tile floors are cold and hard, so we’re likely going with Allure (We already have beautiful OLD wood in most of our home.) It’s not a high-end upgrade we’re after, it’s function.

Here’s the thing. We’ve made do, very contentedly, really, for years. With this. (Please excuse the mess. We were moving out before I remembered to take pictures.)

That’s the back wall of our kitchen. Boxed in fridge. (What in the world is that?!) Cabinet door. Wasted space. Lots and lots of wasted space. The wall behind that buffet is a black hole of empty space, because the only access is that crazy small rectangle cabinet to the right of the fridge.

That shelf? Goes back 5 feet! The things on that shelf? I haven’t used in the 7 years we’ve lived here! (I guess the black hole serves as a great lesson for things I could do without. 😉 )

Anyway, I’m still not convinced that you grasp the severity of the situation. Let’s try this.

Yep. Lots of space. Sorry, kids. Mama’s taking back the kitchen. In If You Give a Mouse a Cookie fashion, when we moved the basement steps to the living room (They were right next to the back door, off of the old back porch, 100 year old house style. Not good with kids in bedrooms down there.) we all of a sudden realized the opportunity to seal off the old stair space, knock out the kitchen wall, and gain 40 square feet of function. Yes, please!

So that’s what we’re doing. They tore it apart last week. I’ve cooked tacos in my laundry room with a smile, because I have a real laundry room. With a sink! All.of.the.decisions. (flooring, counter tops, back splash, sink, lighting) are about to do me in, but oh… worth it. It will be worth it! I’ll keep you posted!

I’m excited that you’re finally getting the reward of all the years of contentedly making do. Can’t wait to see your new, pretty kitchen. Sorry I can’t come and deep clean it a couple days before your next baby. : )

It is your responsibility to check in from afar every week or so and make sure I am taking good care of my kitchen. SURELY I can keep it neat and clean (and get a ton of freezer cooking done) for 4-5 months?! 😉

This is going to be amazing for you! I just wanted to caution about the flooring – we have NOT been happy with laminate in the kitchen. We put it in when we did our kitchen 8 years ago, and I’ve been ready to rip it back out for 5 years :(. Allure may be better – just read the reviews. The kitchen is so high traffic, so high-drop, something that can’t handle dings and drops will not look good for long…

Now that I’ve been looking and shopping for a few weeks, I’ve come to the conclusion that laminate comes in “cheap and flimsy” and “looks just like tile without the hard and cold factor.” We went with the latter. 🙂

It’s so much fun that you let us all come along for this journey! 🙂 (And add this to the list of why we should be neighbors– I’m not a fan of knick-knacks and extra stuff, but I love making flooring/paint/hardware type decisions.)

You are brave doing the kitchen remodel so quickly after doing the basement but I guess just go ahead, jump in and get it over with. I remember our kitchen remodel and doing dishes in the bathroom for months on end! I finally told my husband the kitchen had to be done before my mother and sister came to town for my first baby shower! He made it happen!